NH #556: Fukushima Thyroid Cancer in Kids - Epidemiologist Joseph Mangano​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​‍‌​​‌​‌​​​​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌‌‍‍​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌‌‍​‌‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌​‍‌​​‌​‌​​​​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌‍‌‌‌​​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‍​‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​​‍​‍‌‌

Libbe HaLevy

00:00:01

Fukushima and children’s thyroid cancer rates. It’s a hot topic in Japan right now as five former prime ministers and the current prime minister face off over whether the 2011 triple nuclear meltdown has harm children exposed to radiation at that time. And since or not, the former prime minister say it did the current administration denies it and is trying to bury the accusation, who to believe the only comparison of radiation impact on children after a nuclear accident is with that other massive nuclear reactor accident. The one at your noble in 1986. So when a genuine expert on radiation and health damage to children tells you

Joseph Mangano

00:00:50

In the first 15 years after the explosion and the meltdown at Chernobyl, the rates of firearm cancer in children in Belarus rose 200 times in the Ukraine, it rose 20 times. And for every thyroid cancer case, there are 29 other cases of children who have other thyroid disease.

Libbe HaLevy

00:01:20

Well when Joseph of radiation and public health project points out the historic understanding of nuclear accident, radiation release, and child thyroid cancer cases, you get a very clear uncompromising picture of the exact nature of that dangerous seat that we all share

Announcer

00:01:43

Clear hot seat. What are those people thinking? Nuclear hot seat. What have those boys been breaking their hot? See the Ms. Sinking our time to act is shrinking, but nuclear Hotsy, it’s the bomb.

Libbe HaLevy

00:02:14

Welcome to nuclear hot seat, the weekly international news magazine, keeping you up to date on all things nuclear from a different perspective. My name is Leiby Halevi I’m the producer and host as well as a survivor of the nuclear accident at three mile island from just one mile away. So I know what can happen when those nuclear so-called experts get it wrong. This week, we take a look at the pushback against child thyroid cancer rates in Japan, following Fukushima, we talk with Joseph Mangano. He is executive director of radiation and public health project, and an epidemiologist who for more than 30 years has been examining health data in the wake of nuclear accidents and radiation releases around the planet. He lets us know the merits of the child, thyroid cancer arguments in Japan, with suggestions of what kinds of research need to be done to determine the truth.

Libbe HaLevy

00:03:15

We will also include an historic clip of a speech by president John F. Kennedy referenced by Joe, which took place just prior to the partial nuclear test ban treaty being enacted in 1963. And of course, we will also have nuclear news from around the world numnuts of the week for outstanding nuclear bone headedness, and more honest nuclear information. Then it’s going to appear at the Oscars this year. All of it coming up in just a few moments today is Tuesday, February 15th, 2022. And here is this week’s nuclear news from a different perspective, starting off here in the U S where there have been a lot of problems recently at nuclear reactors on February 5th, the economy to nuclear reactor in South Carolina, scrammed meaning and had an emergency shutdown. And it was labeled an unusual event, which is the first of four categories that the nuclear regulatory commission uses to categorize things that really should not be happening at nuclear reactors.

Libbe HaLevy

00:04:26

According to Edwin Lyman of the union of concerned scientists, a blown fuse caused the coolant pumps to trip triggering the shutdown overheating caused the coating on a pipe to break down and smoke. According to a Connie owner, duke energy, there was no fire and no radioactive release suspect factors that have not yet been addressed, include the temperature that caused the smoking from the cladding on the pipes. It would have to be really high. And the question is why also, according to Lyman, the NRC nuclear regulatory commission found two violations at the Limerick nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, including operating for six months in 2021 with a broken valve that impaired the plant’s ability to reach and maintain cold shutdown in certain fire scenarios and Arnie Gunderson, chief engineer with Fairwinds energy education and a former licensed nuclear plant operator wrote on Twitter for 16 years, the Waterford nuclear reactor was improperly calibrating, its radiation monitors, and nobody noticed more than half gave inaccurate readings, 600 employees to resident inspectors and numerous and RC and Institute of nuclear power operator audits.

Libbe HaLevy

00:05:54

And nobody noticed in New Mexico, the national nuclear security agency has formed an accident investigation board to look into last months reported leak that contaminated several workers at the Los Alamos national laboratory. The Santa Fe new Mexican reports that a breached plutonium glove box at Los Alamos on January seven released airborne radioactive material. That was more than doubled the yearly limit for the work area. The leak occurred in a sealed compartment, which has attached gloves. So workers can handle radioactive material according to a report by the defense nuclear facility, safety board, a Los Alamos employee noticed the breach after working with a container of legacy waste in the glove box alarms then sounded prompting the six person crew to evacuate. No word has yet been released on the employee’s health, or if anyone has yet been able to return Bloomberg published an article entitled the nuclear industry argues regulators don’t understand new small reactors parentheses, correct.

Libbe HaLevy

00:07:04

Congress has ordered the nuclear regulatory commission to replace a rules framework that dates to the 1950s, the new guidelines aren’t expected until at least 2025. That means that to prove the safety of designs, the commission demands data from similar plants. The problem being that none of the smaller installations have yet been built in the U S so there’s no performance history. The newer technology typically uses substances such as molten, salt, and lead or gases like helium to keep the core from overheating, but no company employing these technologies has won a construction license and only one design a water-cooled model as all of the current models are water-cooled. This one from new scale power has been approved and is intended to be built at Idaho national laboratories. So the NRC is tasked with trying to regulate a technology that has not yet been built. That is not clearly understood, has not been approved.

Libbe HaLevy

00:08:07

And nuclear insiders are pushing to cast aside any regulations or limitations based on current understanding of reactors, because it doesn’t fall in line with their thinking and intentions. Good to know environmental groups, point out that small modular nuclear reactors still produce enough radioactive material to present a contamination risk and building more plants. Even small ones will add to the piles of toxic waste that no one can figure out what to do with Jeff fetis and attorney with the national resources defense council states, to the extent that there will be efforts to weaken the regulatory envelope, we will aggressively push back and Gregory yacht SCO former chair of the nuclear commission from 2009 to 2000. Twelves says the lack of movement on such plants around the world suggest that we would be wrong to count on them as a way out of the climate crisis. Quote, they’re just not ready.

Libbe HaLevy

00:09:09

He says, and by the time they could be ready, they’re not going to be useful to which we add. But in the meantime, the nuclear industry will be getting boatloads of money from the government to pursue the false promise of small modular nuclear reactors over to Japan where a remote controlled robot has captured images of what appears to be mounds of nuclear fuel that melted and fell to the bottom of the most damaged reactor at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear facility. Most of the highly radioactive fuel fell to the bottom of the containment vessels, making its removal extremely difficult, Tokyo electric power company, or TEPCO said the images captured this week show broken structures, pipes, and mounds of what appears to be melted fuel, and other debris submerged in the cooling water about 900 tons of melted nuclear fuel remain inside the facilities. Three damaged reactors.

Libbe HaLevy

01:10:12

It’s removal is a daunting task that officials say will take 30 to 40 years. And critics say that’s overly optimistic at one location. The robot measured a radiation level of two sieverts, which is fatal for humans. The annual exposure limit for plant workers is set at 50 millisieverts or one 20th of that amount. We will link to an interesting article from science daily.com entitled can reactor fuel debris be safely removed from Fukushima Daiichi. It raises a lot of the points that must be considered when looking at not only the problems at Fukushima Daiichi, but the problems that could happen at any nuclear reactor in the world. Also at Fukushima Daiichi on January 16th, an estimated four tons of liquid at minus 30 degrees Celsius, which is minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit that was used as a refrigerant to build a frozen earth. Walter frees the ground around the buildings at Fukushima Daiichi leaked.

Libbe HaLevy

01:11:20

The frozen wall or slushie was examined and revealed that the joints between pipes that feed the refrigerant and the underground pipes used to freeze the ground had shifted, not unsurprising in an earthquake plagued country. Some of the joints were replaced on the 22nd of January. Parts of other pipes will be replaced sometime in the undetermined future. And the cause of the shift is still being investigated as for the decommissioning plan at Cape coast, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power ruins. Two goals have disappeared from the decommissioning plans, put forth by TEPCO and the government. They are zero generation of contaminated water and dismantling of the reactor buildings. TEPCO CEO, Kira Ono said we want to proceed according to schedule. And he stressed that point at a press conference on January 27, but TEPCO had removed the goal of zero generation of contaminated water when their plan was revised in 2019, the previously mentioned frozen soil barrier, which was introduced to stop the inflow of groundwater through the radioactive areas of the plant has not been proven to be effective.

Libbe HaLevy

01:12:38

And TEPCO continues to emphasize that the tanks they use to store the steel radioactive water will be full next spring. And that’s why the government has decided to release that water into the ocean. As regards that planned release of radioactive water into the Pacific ocean, a team of international atomic energy agency, I E a quote unquote so-called experts will visit the wreckage of Fukushima Daiichi to review Japan’s plans to discharge the radioactive water into the Pacific ocean. This will take place during a visit, which begins today, February 15th, 2022, the IAEA will evaluate the so-called safety of releasing the treated water slated to begin in the spring of 2023. It has been opposed by China and South Korea, as well as local fishing communities and environmental groups around the world as regards the IAEA and its so-called experts. It’s good to remember that article four of charter is the promotion of commercial nuclear power, which brings their credibility as an objective fact, finding source into question an op ed in the major publication, a Saki is headline touting nuclear power as green energy is a non-starter for Japan.

Libbe HaLevy

01:14:06

This is in response to the recent recognition of nuclear power as an energy source that they say can contribute to curbing global warming under certain circumstances, qualifying for this designation under the EU taxonomy requires quote no significant harm to such environmental objectives as the sustainable use and protection of water, the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems, as well as pollution prevention and control EU countries are split on this designation. And we will link to this editorial because it really spells it out very clearly and very thoroughly while we are discussing the potential dump of even more radioactive water from Fukushima into the ocean comes the notice that Japan’s health ministry has ordered the suspension of shipments of black rock fish caught off Fukushima prefecture. After radiation exceeding an upper limit was detected in a catch late last month. The development comes on the heels of an announcement by Taiwan that it would relax a ban on food imports from Japan, put in place after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, a little premature, the suspension means the targeted fish will not be shipped regardless of the destination, this according to a ministry official. And just in case you have not yet had your fill of nuclear bone headedness, heres

Libbe HaLevy

01:15:42

Okay. Last December, Japan opened its first Pokemon themed park, featuring playground equipment themed on characters from the popular anime and game series. And where was this theme park opened in NAMI in Fukushima prefecture, only 35 miles from the site of the triple meltdown and in the middle of the evacuation zone at lucky park named unironically after the Pokemon character, Chauncey children are invited to play on six pieces of playground equipment donated to the town by the Pokemon company, including a six meter tall complex place set with the motif of Chancey who is labeled the Fukushima support Pokemon for context, all residents of NAMI were evacuated after the nuclear accident while the evacuation order was lifted in the Eastern part of the town in spring 2017, many residents remain evacuated and only 31 students about 2% of the number for the 2011 disasters have come back to elementary and junior high schools in town, despite the paucity of students available to play in that playground, the NAMI and municipal government spent some 17 million yen about 150,000 us dollars to create the park in a speech during a ceremony ahead of the parks opening mayor, a hero Yoshida said, we’d like to dedicate all our strength to promote relocation and settlement by improving various tourism programs, such as lucky park and expanding the number of visitors so that they think I want to visit NAMI and to live there.

Libbe HaLevy

01:17:30

I don’t think a playground within 35 miles of a nuclear disaster site is going to do that. And in a totally tone, deaf announcement, Pokemon company, corporate officer Taku, Kawamoto said lucky is a Pokemon character that brings happiness. I want people to play a lot at this park and bring a lot of happiness to the town of NAMI. No wonder the Japanese government is trying to deny that radiation exposure is responsible for the elevated, if not exploding, thyroid cancer rates in children from Fukushima prefecture. And that is why mayor Yoshida Pokemon corporate and all the brainiacs behind Pokemon park in NAMI, you are this week’s

Libbe HaLevy

01:18:25

And in France, a speech by president McCrone from 2020 reveals his thinking in terms of retaining and expanding nuclear power. He states opposing civil and military nuclear power in terms of production. And moreover in terms of research makes no sense for a country like ours without civil nuclear power. There is no military nuclear power and without military nuclear power, there is no civil nuclear power. One cannot exist without the other. So how about let’s get rid of both. We’ll have this week’s featured interview in just a moment, but first we’re coming up on what I like to call nuclear anniversary alley six weeks that mark the anniversaries of the three worst nuclear reactor disasters to date Fukushima on March 11, three mile island on March 28 and Chernobyl on April 26. These dates are dog whistles to the nuclear industry to unleash their well-planned PR hounds of hell flax and paid flunkies.

Libbe HaLevy

01:19:31

The goal flood the media with their lies about nukes being green, say the cure for climate change, blah, blah, blah. The few honest articles or op EDS that managed to get through those opposed to nukes might get out that might get out. There are immediately slammed with paid naysayers and buts meant to drown out all the anti-nuclear voices as a result. The ordinary citizen here’s the hypnotic drone of nukes are good. Good, good, good, good, and fall. Right in line. Well, programmed to pair it surgically implanted talking points that drown out common sense, opposition to this deadly technology. That’s why you need nuclear hot seat to cut through the financially backed pro nuclear shills and their talking points so that you learn what’s really going on in the nuclear world and what you can do about it. We countered the pro-nuclear tsunami of disinformation with facts, perspective, credentials, authorities, footnotes, and vetted information, but we can’t keep doing this without you.

Libbe HaLevy

02:20:38

And that’s why right now is a perfect time to support us. You can do so by going to nuclear hot seat.com, click on the big red donate button and help us with a donation of any size. If you set up a monthly $5 donation, Hey, it’s the same as buying us a cup of coffee. So do what you can now and know that however much you are able to help and deeply grateful that you’re listening and that you care as we covered on last week’s nuclear hot seat. Number 5 55, Japanese politicians are in a tug of war over the rates of child thyroid cancer that have shown up in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The triple meltdown of March 11th in Fukushima prefecture, a health survey has found 266 cases of confirmed or suspected thyroid cancer in people aged 18 years or younger at the time of the nuclear act, an additional 27 were discovered in a separate, but the Japanese government is claiming that a panel of experts commissioned by the prefecture says that no links have been established so far between the thyroid cancer cases and radiation exposure.

Libbe HaLevy

02:21:54

And they’re trying to fight it off on quote unquote over-diagnosis meaning they’re actually looking for something well to try and sort out the truth of it. We contacted Joseph Mangano. He is executive director of radiation and public health project and an epidemiologist that’s one who searches for the cause of disease identifies people who are at risk determines how to control or stop the spread or prevent it from happening again. Joe has over 30 years of experience working with nuclear numbers and comes from a history of teasing out health information hidden in the data we spoke with Joe Mangano on Friday, February 11, 20 Joseph Ben Ghana. Thanks so much for joining us today here on nuclear hot seat.

Joseph Mangano

02:22:46

Thank you for having me.

Libbe HaLevy

02:22:47

This is regarding the, what I’m calling the thyroid cancer info wars in Japan that are going on right now. Let’s drop back to some basics. First, what causes thyroid cancer?

Joseph Mangano

02:23:03

If you Google thyroid cancer causes the first page, you’re going to see the Mayo clinic, what causes thyroid cancer. And they’re going to have three things, emails, sex, certain genetic conditions. And the third one says radiation, and you go to the Cleveland clinic, they do a little better. They have eight different risk factors. And one of them specifically says exposure to radiation from nuclear weapons, tests and nuclear power plants, Cleveland clinic, other risk factors are things like goiter and a family history of disease and a personal history of thyroid disease. Those aren’t really root causes. Radiation is a root cause

Libbe HaLevy

02:23:53

When you say root cause what is the distinguishing factor there?

Joseph Mangano

02:23:58

Distinguishing factor is that that cause can take an otherwise healthy person and turn them into someone with thyroid disease.

Libbe HaLevy

02:24:07

So if radiation is a cause of thyroid cancer, why do we study child thyroid cancer?

Joseph Mangano

02:24:17

Any environmental pollution, including radiation is much more harmful at a certain dose to children, infants and the fetus than it is to an adult. That’s clear

Libbe HaLevy

02:24:31

Is that because of body size or mass or weight, or are there other factors involved?

Joseph Mangano

02:24:38

One is, is the small body size. And two is the fact that the fetus in infant and child are growing very rapidly, which means the cells are dividing much faster than adults. If you injure a cell to a fetus or an infant, it’s going to reproduce into other injured cells and make the chance of cancer. More likely adult cell reproduction is much slower.

Libbe HaLevy

02:25:05

He has thyroid cancer or other thyroid disease been studied near nuclear facilities that are not in meltdown like Fukushima was, but are still functioning.

Joseph Mangano

02:25:18

Oh yes. There’s, there’s a long history of studies of excess thyroid cancer from radiation. As you mentioned, there have been some, the first was Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. The next worthy, the people in the Marshall Islands exposed to atomic bomb test fallout near Chernobyl was perhaps the best study going to refer to a fantastic book in 2009 written by Alexa, which is probably the best consensus on harm from Chernobyl, which along with Fukushima is the largest meltdown in our history.

Libbe HaLevy

02:26:03

And for people who cannot see this at the moment, the title of the book is Chernobyl consequences of the catastrophe for people and the environment.

Joseph Mangano

02:26:12

That’s right. If I could go just a bit of detail in the first 15 years after the explosion and the meltdown at Chernobyl, the rates of thyroid cancer in children in Belarus rose 200 times in, in the Ukraine, it rose 20 times. And they, the book makes to that for every thyroid cancer case. There are 29 other cases of children who have other thyroid disease who don’t find out cancer. So it was very clear that the child thyroids around that were devastated by this meltdown, which is an important fact. Before we start to study Fukushima

Libbe HaLevy

02:27:09

In Japan, it seems that the current prime minister and a group of five previous prime ministers are engaged in what I am calling thyroid cancer wars. The five previous prime ministers released a statement to the European union stating that nuclear should not be included in green energy taxonomy, meaning the funding of energy specifically citing quote, many children are suffering from thyroid cancer. That was the phrase. And this has triggered an epic pushback by the current prime minister and his government. What’s your take on what is happening there?

Joseph Mangano

02:27:52

My take is that what’s being found and your focus Shiva now with child thyroid cancer was very predictable because it’s really similar to what happened after Chernobyl in that area. The current total of children who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the 10 years after Fukushima is now up to 293 using us health statistics for a population that’s ties. They, they, they are testing 38,000 children for every 38,000 children. In 10 years in the U S we would expect three or four children to develop thyroid cancer. And here we’re talking almost 300. So we’re already almost a hundred times above expected in child thyroid cancer, near Fukushima and rising, but the numbers continue to rise every year. Now the pushback from the current prime minister and his health advisors have been that, yes, there are 293 children with a thyroid cancer, but it’s only because we are screening them and testing them, which we normally wouldn’t do. It’s only because of screening and that absolutely falls on its face. Put it this way. Any regular physical exam from a physician to a child or an adult is going to include palpating, the neck area, touching the neck area. The thyroid gland is located right around the throat. And if there are gross cancerous growth, a doctor is going to feel them. So that line that is only screening absolutely as carries no scientific weight whatsoever,

Libbe HaLevy

02:29:47

Right? The term that they’ve been using is that it’s been overdiagnosed in other words, catching cases that would not otherwise be caught, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but certainly these numbers are alarming. And I need to point out here that I believe it was Dr. Alex Rosen of international physicians for the prevention of nuclear war, who, when he came on this program pointed out that the study itself, the Fukushima prefectural health study had been manipulated to minimize the number of children who could be considered for this study. First off, it was only started five years after the triple meltdown and many families with children who were under 18 at the time of the triple meltdown had already moved away. So they could not be considered. If anyone, after having been started in the study, moved out Fukushima prefecture, or even change doctors, or even missed some of their appointments for this study, they could be eliminated from the pool of individuals who are being followed for this. So the numbers keep shrinking and are undoubtedly diminished from what they might’ve been. If all the children under 18 at the time of the triple meltdown were being studied. Once individuals are lost from a study like this, is there any way to pick up their information and be able to consider it?

Joseph Mangano

03:31:18

It would be very difficult to do that. However, study should be routinely done tracking, not just thyroid cancer among children are not just thyroid cancer, but all cancers and all immune diseases in the local area. In Japan. I know of no other study that has come out of Japan, specifically looking at the post-truth Ashima health consequences, the rates of disease and death I’ve yet to see any published in medical journals. And the reason why is because I’ve published some using not data from Japan, but data from the west coast of the United States, which we know was the hardest hit part of the us by Fukushima all out within four days after the meltdown. Now, of course the doses were much lower than in Japan, but they were higher than normal. We saw levels of iodine, 1 31 in the precipitation in places like Boise, Idaho, 200 times higher than normal, instead of two piko curios, it was 400 Pico curies and other areas around the country.

Joseph Mangano

03:32:32

But all in all the west coast had more. I found. And my colleague, Janet Sherman, who was the co-author of this great country, found several things. We looked at the number of newborns on the west coast, who were born with hypothyroidism and underactive thyroid gland. And we found that in the months after Fukushima in the five west coast states. So Pacific states, the rates were 28% higher, the increased 28% from the same period in the previous year, the rest of the country, it went down 4%. We also looked at children who were born with congenital hypothyroidism or were on the borderline. And that number was 54% higher that included 777 children. Okay. These are just markers of where Fukushima may well have left its footprint. Okay. We have to continue monitoring and doing studies on this, but I know of no other published studies. In fact, the party line from leaders in Japan, other leaders, where there was that Fukushima caused zero deaths, right? This is one of the two worst meltdowns in history and maybe one of the two worst environmental catastrophes in history. And 10 years later, 11 years later, they’re pronouncing no deaths without doing the studies, which is not the way science should work.

Libbe HaLevy

03:34:06

And certainly those of us who followed the study know that musalia Shita who was the Fukushima plant manager who stayed behind with the group called the Fukushima 50 to actually fight the meltdown by pouring water from hoses onto the plant to keep it from exploding or melting down. Even further, he died three and a half years later of esophageal cancer, which the country and the government very quickly said, oh, that had nothing to do with Fukushima because it takes too long for that kind of cancer to show up. And it hasn’t been that long since the accident itself. So there’s no connection to it, which was one of the many lies to cover it up. So we know that certainly Yoshida died and there may have been others, but there’s been no attempt to follow these people. Fukushima prefecture itself commissioned a panel of so-called experts. And they came out with a statement that no links have been established so far between the thyroid cancer cases and radiation exposure. First of all, do you have any idea who these experts might be their affiliations and funding sources and how likely is it that they’re finding perhaps reflected a bias that was set up before they even became part of this study?

Joseph Mangano

03:35:33

Well, I know the child thyroid cancer study is being by the Fukushima medical university. It’s an institution that is reliant on government funds for its operation. And we know that the government is very, pro-nuclear very, very strongly committed to reopening as many reactors as possible. There were 54 reactors operating in Japan 11 years ago. And after Fukushima, they closed them. All many will not ever reopen, but they’re trying very hard to reopen it. I think the number is nine out of 54, 9 have been operated again, which is not very many, but they’re trying to get that number as high as possible and to do so. It would be a conflict for them to admit to a lot of disease and death caused by the meltdown. So it’s really not objectives science. There really needs to be an independent analysis of health trends and health patterns in the area.

Libbe HaLevy

03:36:41

What would it take to get something like that going and how likely is it that it will ever happen?

Joseph Mangano

03:36:46

I’ve been involved with radiation and public health project was formed just for that reason, because even here in the United States, there wasn’t any good way to get analyses of nuclear reactors and their health risks from people at universities. Many of whom are reliance on government grants for their research. We set up the group has one independent from industry independent from government. And since then we’ve published 38 articles in medical journals on our findings, including several about thyroid cancer. I think that is truly the only way as long as governments remain committed to continuing nuclear power programs. They’re just not going to be objective about the health risks. It’s as simple as that,

Libbe HaLevy

03:37:38

That goes to some of the sources that are being cited to prove. And I put that word in quotes as well, that Fukushima had no impact on thyroid cancer rates in children. They are the 2012 report that came out from the world health organization and the I a, the international atomic energy agency, and also the 2014 report from unscary United nations scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation. How reliable as a source for this information is the I a one skier and the world health organization, and how reliable in your estimation are the studies that cite them.

Joseph Mangano

03:38:25

It was organizations are totally unreliable. And I’ll just go back to using Chernobyl, which was the other large belt down as a precedent from the get-go. The word came out from those organizations that nobody died, or in Chernobyl’s case, they admitted early on to 31 rescue workers who helped put out that terrible fire and got huge amounts of radiation and died quickly. They use that number for a long time. Finally, finally, they pushed the number up to I think, 9,000 extra cancer cases. However, that is a massive undercount. Again, this book by estimated in the first 20 years after Chernobyl, there were 986,000 additional deaths caused by the trend mobile meltdown. So a million, and obviously it’s more than a decade later, that number is increased. So they are into either denying or minimizing rather than being accurate as to what the causes were. I’ll even say that we in the U S did better for years.

Joseph Mangano

03:39:32

The U S tested nuclear weapons above the ground until the test ban signed by president Kennedy went into effect in the 1960s for a long time. After that, the government was absolutely silent on what the fallout from those massive blasts above the ground work. And finally, in 1999, after the cold war, it ended after the breakup of the Soviet union, the national cancer Institute put out a publication where they estimated that up to 212,000 Americans developed viral cancer from the atomic tests in Nevada. Only that doesn’t include the Soviet fallout which got here and the fallout from the us test in the south Pacific. My point here is that it sometimes takes a long, long time to really get out of the truth. And I’m not sure that’s even an accurate estimate. And of course they only did thyroid cancer. I stopped your studies after that, obviously there are other cancers and diseases from which Americans were affected by the fallout. So it may be years before we get a much better clearer view of what Fukushima did to the world.

Libbe HaLevy

04:40:47

And I need to point out that thyroid cancer is one of the first cancers that will show up after exposure to radiation, but following a dose, be it the iodine, 1 31 that you mentioned, which is radioactive and comes from a pressure nuclear release, that there are long-term impacts from this that take years, if not decades to show up yet while cause and effect are greatly separated from each other. It doesn’t mean that they’re not connected. It just means that maybe we haven’t had the persistence of vision to hook the cause up with the effect, which is cancer. Later in life,

Joseph Mangano

04:41:30

You bring up a good point to be the effects of radiation exposure. Aren’t always seen like immediately, it’s not like you’re exposed to focus Shima. And within a few days you develop cancer. These can take a long time, years, even decades, decades later, they’re still studying the survivors of the original Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs and finding excess cancers. And this is 70 plus years ago. So it really takes a committed research effort to, to understand what the effects are. Then radiation is no different than anything else. Like cigarette smoking, you start smoking as a teenager. You’re not necessarily going to become ill soon after it could be many decades after,

Libbe HaLevy

04:42:17

But the disease does show up.

Joseph Mangano

04:42:19

Oh yeah. In, in larger numbers. No question about what

Libbe HaLevy

04:42:23

Further research in your estimation should be done to understand the health impacts of the Fukushima disaster.

Joseph Mangano

04:42:31

Not only do I think the population in Japan should be studied. I think the affected populations in other countries, the us, as I mentioned, the people in the west coast and neighboring countries like Korea should be investigated. Number two, I think the thyroid cancer is truly just the tip of the iceberg. We should look at childhood cancers. We should look at birth defects. We should look even at underweight births or premature births. We should look at. And again, as the years go on and these young people become older, look at adult cancers and things like that. Because again, it’s going to take decades to really understand the full and not just near Fukushima as well. All of Japan was affected. They found hot particles in Tokyo, 140 miles away. It’s really a, there are no led walls blocking radiation once it’s left the reactor. And should I say that almost 11 years later, the Fukushima reactors are still releasing radioactivity into the Pacific ocean. It has not been contained, which has makes it different. And perhaps worse than Chernobyl, if noble was contained, there was a terrible, terrible thing, but Fukushima is not. So we must reckon on that as well because the Pacific ocean is a feeder for fish for many people. Yeah.

Libbe HaLevy

04:44:06

And with Japan, there’s the citizens radiation data map, which was a citizen scientist activist study that took place taking soil samples from around the country. And what they found was that you’re right. All of Japan should be studied because they found evidence of Fukushima radiation at great distance from the Northeast of the country. The study was so scientifically sound and the book that resulted. So well-written that as a group of amateur writers and amateur scientists, they actually won an award from a major Japanese journalism society. The only time it’s ever happened for a non-professional journalist. So the information is credible. The danger is real, it’s ongoing and we’ll never be free of it.

Joseph Mangano

04:45:00

Yes. But at very least we can understand the true health risks better because this will help us limit the exposures and limits the role of nuclear power in the future. Just because we’ve had a focus Shima, we’ve had a Chernobyl is tragic, but we can use it as a learning experience, similar to what we did with the atomic bomb testing above the ground. What happened in those years? The fallout was enormous. It went worldwide. The health consequences are, are, are quite severe. We’re still studying, but we learned enough to know that we shouldn’t test anymore. Meaning when right before the treaty was signed, president Kennedy gave a speech and he specifically use words like the loss of even one child with leukemia in their blood, with cancer in their bones, with poison in their lungs is, is unacceptable. He made very clear that this was not just about trying to reduce the chance of a nuclear war. This is a health treaty, which is what it was. So I think we can use studies of Fukushima to learn the same lessons so that in the future, we will have less nuclear power and thus less disease from exposures,

Libbe HaLevy

04:46:20

From your mouth to somebodies ears, Joe Mangano. It’s always a pleasure to have you on the show and be able to rely on your excellent information. And for now, I want to thank you for being my guest this week. That was Joseph men, Ghana and epidemiologist and executive director of radiation and public health project. We will have a link up to his website, radiation.org on our website, nuclear hot seat, number 5, 5, 6. I was impressed that Joe could quote president John F. Kennedy from a July 26th, 1963 speech on the need for the partial nuclear test ban treaty with Russia in this excerpt, he addresses the need to protect children. And I found it particularly poignant as Jackie Kennedy had a history of giving birth to a stillborn infant. And only a few weeks after this speech gave birth to an infant who died within 48 hours. That is the subs text when JFK

John F. Kennedy

04:47:26

This treaty can be a step towards freezing the world from the fears and dangers of radioactive fallout. Our own atmospheric tests last year were conducted on the conditions which restricted such fallout to an absolute minimum, but over the years, the number and the yield of weapons tested at rapidly increased. And so the radioactive hazards from such testing continued unrestricted testing by the nuclear powers joined in time by other nations, which may be less adept and limiting pollution will increasingly contaminate the AI that all of us must breathe. Even then the number of children and grandchildren with cancer in their bones with leukemia in their blood, or with poison in their lungs might seem statistically small to some in comparison with natural health hazards. But this is not a natural health hazard, and it is not a statistical issue, a loss of even one human life.

John F. Kennedy

04:48:43

Although malformation of even one baby who may be born long after all of us have gone, should be of concern to us. All our children and grandchildren are not merely statistics towards which we can be indifferent. No does this affect the nuclear powers alone? These tasks of fall, the air of all man and all nations, the committed and the uncommitted alike without their knowledge and without their consent. That is why the continuation of atmospheric testing causes so many countries to regard all nuclear Polish as equally evil. And we can hope that its prevention will enable those countries to see the world more clearly while enabling all the world to breathe more easily.

Libbe HaLevy

04:49:39

That was an excerpt from a speech on the need for the nuclear test ban treaty from a speech by president John F. Kennedy we’ll link to the complete speech, both audio and transcript on our website. It’s well-worth

Announcer

04:49:56

Activists.

Libbe HaLevy

05:50:03

The grand canyon trust has issued a call to action asking that we write letters to urge our senators to support. And co-sponsor the grand canyon protection act. This is because uranium mining has left a toxic legacy of radioactive contamination near the grand canyon polluting water air and the surrounding environment. Specifically uranium mining threatens regional groundwater, which feeds seeps and Springs inside the grand canyon and provides the sole source of water to the Haba Supai tribe. The grand canyon region holds only 0.2% of the identified uranium resources in the United States, meaning this is the wrong place to mine. Uranium and uranium is not an economic driver in the region, but tourism and outdoor recreation are thousands of jobs depend on a healthy grand canyon. So again, grand canyon trust is urging us to contact our senators and ask them to support. And co-sponsor Senate bill 3 87, the grand canyon protection act we’ll have a link up where you can learn more about it on our website.

Libbe HaLevy

05:51:20

And it is with sadness that we marked the passing of. a former dairy farmer who continued to tell the truth about the nuclear accident in Fukushima, a resident of a Tata village. He died of thyroid cancer on October 22nd, 2021 at the age of 68, Mr. Hasegawa was the co-chairman of he’d done run a group of victims of the nuclear power plant accident and the head of the group of his tattoo villagers who filed for an alternative dispute in 2012, he gave a speech at the European parliament about his experiences in the wake of the Fukushima accident and the film, my legacy, if only there were no nuclear power plants features him. He was diagnosed with cancer in early 20, 21. After his diagnosis, he said, I wish we didn’t have nuclear power plants. And I hope the remaining dairy farmers will do their best not to be defeated by nuclear power plants.

Libbe HaLevy

05:52:24

His presence will be sorely missed both inside and outside of Japan. And for those of you who are seeking to make a real difference with a minimum of effort, this is so easy and so quick to do. You’ll have a great time with it. Don’t bank on the bomb is a system for divesting funds from those companies that are actively involved in the design and manufacture of nuclear weapons. This brief explanation of how the campaign works is able to be voiced by Susie Snyder. She coordinates the research publication and campaigning activities for the group and is on the steering committee of ICANN. This brief explanation was recorded app Dr. Helen called the con’s symposium on possible nuclear extinction on February 28th, 2015,

Susie Snyder

05:53:16

It’s called don’t bank on the bomb. And that’s the website too. Don’t bank on the bomb.com. Step one, find out if your bank invests a nuclear weapon, producers, step two, contact your bank, tell them you don’t want them to step three, tell the world what the bank says. And if they don’t get rid of investments, go public because no bank wants to look like a bad guy. It takes one or two people only to make a huge difference, and that can cut off the money stream to the companies that make nuclear weapons, you and I, we have more power than we think, and that power is sitting in our wallets. And how can people find out

Libbe HaLevy

05:53:55

The companies that were told the bank is supporting any connection with

Susie Snyder

05:53:59

We, your weapons industry? Well, we do a significant investigation every year. Now it’s not completely exhaustive, but we profile 28 companies that have association with nuclear weapons, modernization, and maintenance, and it’s on our website. Don’t bank on the bomb.com. And we really want people to use our information and contact us all the time. You can do that in, you know, through the website really easily contact me on Twitter, whatever works, and I’m happy to find out more. And if you find out, learn about more companies involved in nuclear weapons, tell us we’ll do the research and we’ll make it public for everybody to use.

Libbe HaLevy

05:54:38

I loved it when I first heard about it and I love it. Still Susie Snyder of don’t bank on the bomb. We have a longer interview with Susie about the program and its implications and the progress it has been making. It’s up on nuclear hot seat, number 4 54 from March 3rd, 2020. Check it out on our website. That was Susie Snyder of don’t bank on the bomb with an easy, fast and effective action you can take to rid the world of nuclear weapons. We will have a link up to dump bank on the bomb on our website, nuclear hot seat.com. Under this episode, number 5 56, this has been nuclear hot seat for Tuesday, February 15th, 2022 material for this week show has been researched and compiled from nuclear-news.net, Dylan renard.wordpress.com beyond nuclear.org, nears.org. The international campaign to abolish nuclear weapons or I can w.org grand canyon trust.org, Robert Jacobs, weather.com.

Libbe HaLevy

05:55:45

Our planet-tv.org. Big issue-online.org WV F F four.com K O b.com bloomberg.com. Tokyo dash N P that’s C o.jp JP yahoo.com science daily.com NHK dot O r.jp asahi.com. reuters.com. My nietzsche.jp Marianne wild. Our wordpress.com keep Cumbrian Cole in the hole.wordpress.com, Edwin Lyman, and the union of concerned scientists, Arnie Gunderson, and Fairwinds energy education and the ever captured and compromised by the industry. They’re supposed to be regulating nuclear regulatory commission. Now nuclear Hotsy gives you this kind of information every week. So if you want to make certain you don’t miss any episodes, it’s easy. Go to nuclear, hot seat.com. Look for the yellow opt in box, and then put in your first name, put an email address, and you will get an email with each week’s link and a short summary of some of the material that’s in it. And you’ll get it. As soon as it posts.

Libbe HaLevy

05:57:02

If you have a story lead, a hot tip or a suggestion of someone to interview, we depend on the people who are on the ground and seeing it right in front of you. Don’t assume I’ve got the information. So send it please to info@nuclearhotseat.com. And if you appreciate these weekly verifiable news updates about nuclear issues around the world, take a moment, go to nuclear, hot seat.com and look for that big red button, click on it, follow the prompts and know that anything you can do will help. And we really appreciate and need your support. This episode of nuclear hot seat is copyright 2022 Leiby Halevi and heart history communications, all rights reserved, but fair use allowed. As long as proper attribution is provided. This is Leiby Halevi of hardest street communications. The heart of the art of communicating, reminding you that as former Soviet prime minister Nikita Khrushchev famously said of the aftermath of a nuclear war, the living will envy the dead. There you go. You have just had your nuclear wake-up call. So don’t go back to sleep because we are all in the nuclear hot seat.

Announcer

05:58:22

clear hot seat. What are those people thinking? Nuclear hot seat. What have those boys been breaking their hot seat? The Ms. Sinking our time to act is shrinking, but nuclear Hotsy it’s the bomb.